It goes without saying that miscarriage for any woman is extremely sorrowful. Though surviving a miscarriage is difficult and can take a toll on your body. But focusing on your health should be the first priority during these difficult days. You feel terrible, grief- stricken and completely shaken by the loss of your child. But this can affect your physical and mental health. Amidst all this, your body also goes through the process of recovering. Your recovery depends on a number of things like nutrition, positivity and mental health. Time is a great healer and proper support from the family and adequate rest can heal your body.
Top 5 tips that can help you deal with miscarriage:
1. Adequate rest:
Your body needs time to heal as goes through a tough and traumatizing phase. So proper rest is extremely important.
2. Proper hygiene:
Generally, after miscarriage women bleed. So try using sanitary napkins rather than tampons for your bleeding post miscarriage. The risk of vaginal infection can increase if you use tampons. Also, try taking a shower or bathe once or twice a day.
3. Sex after miscarriage:
Avoid sexual intercourse in the first two weeks after miscarriage as your body takes time to heal. You can consult your doctor before having a sexual intercourse again.
4. Stay hydrated:
Drink adequate water throughout the day so that your body replenishes its water. You can opt for other fluids as well like have fruit juices, coconut water, herbal tea and warm broths.
5. Regular check-ups:
Make sure you go for regular check-ups to your doctor after the miscarriage. This will help ensure that don’t have any STD’s, bacterial infections or other problems that can stop you from getting pregnant again.
After miscarriage, it is common that women bleed from the vagina. This is very similar to period bleeding, and may last for a long time. You may even feel pain in your lower abdomen. This pain is also similar to the one you experience during period cramps. Therefore, a healthy diet is extremely essential and can help your body recover easily. According to the Delhi-based nutritionist, Pooja Malhotra, ” Miscarriage can cause great emotional trauma besides a physical drain on body reserves of nutrients. The diet post miscarriage should help recovery, rebuild nutrient reserves and also help to prepare the body for future pregnancy as most women would attempt to conceive again.”
Nutritionist recommended some diet tips:
A lot of iron gets lost due to the bleeding further leading to anemia. So include iron rich foods like poultry, seafood, egg, green leafy veggies, lentils, beans, nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.Calcium too is lost with the fetus. So one should regularly consume calcium rich foods like dairy products especially curd, paneer etc, green veggies, fish, nuts etc.Folic acid is needed at the time of conception. It’s a must if you are planning to conceive again in the near future. Folate is found in leafy veggies like spinach, lettuce, broccoli, lentils, peas, lady finger, seeds, nuts etc.Vitamin C is essential for absorption of iron so include citrus fruits, Amla, lemon, guava etc on a daily basis.Body is in a catabolic state. Good quality protein is essential for recovery, so include eggs, pulses, milk, cheese, curd, seafood, beans, poultry etc
Foods you should avoid:
Junk food which is devoid of fibre and high in fat and sugar interferes with healing and is devoid of nutrients that aid recovery.
(Pooja Malhotra is a nutritionist based in Delhi)
